Highmountain

Highmountain
Level: 10 - 45; Battle Pet Level: 25
Capital(s)	Thunder Totem; Neltharion's Lair; Torok's Bluff
Races	Highmountain tauren; Feltotem tauren; Drogbar; Alpine harpy; Ettin; Murloc; Kobold; Dwarf; Goblin; Gnome; Night elf
Ruler(s)	Mayla Highmountain; Navarrogg
Former ruler(s)	Torok Bloodtotem †; Dargrul †
Major settlements	Skyhorn; Stonedark Grotto; Trueshot Lodge; Feltotem
Minor settlements	Riverbend; Ironhorn Enclave; Prepfoot Compound; Snowmane Village; Cliff's Edge
Affiliation	Highmountain Tribe, Horde, Bloodtotem/Feltotem tribe, Drogbar tribes, Unseen Path, Burning Legion
Location	Northern Broken Isles
PvP status	Contested territory

“Few places in Azeroth are as beautiful — or as perilous — as Highmountain. Its rugged slopes teem with wild beasts, roaring waterfalls, and breathtaking views. A vast network of caverns winds through the mountain's heart, holding legendary treasures and secrets from Azeroth's distant past.”

— The Art of World of Warcraft: Legion, pg. 75

Highmountain is a region that dominates the northern horizon of the Broken Isles with its jagged peaks. It is one of the last great frontiers of the isles,^[1] named in honor of Huln Highmountain for his bravery in the War of the Ancients.^[2]

History

Over 10,000 years ago, the Dragon Aspect Neltharion had a lair and vault in the mountains here. It was here where he kept the Hammer of Khaz'goroth and where he created the Dragon Soul.

When the War of the Ancients broke out, the tauren hero Huln Highmountain united the disparate tauren tribes of the area and led them into battle alongside the Kaldorei Resistance. After the war ended, the region was named Highmountain in Huln's honor.

Long ago, the Old Gods sought to claim Highmountain. Their campaign was led by Uul'gyneth. Huln Highmountain gathered heroes from among the tribes, and fought against Uul'gyneth's servants, the Necrodark. Yet the forces of shadow were too great to overcome. So Huln devised another plan. Wards were placed to lock away the Old Gods' influence. Though the general survived, Uul'gyneth's essence was trapped.^[3]

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

Following the war in Draenor, the Burning Legion began to invade Azeroth through the Tomb of Sargeras. The tauren of Highmountain, descended from Huln Highmountain and other tauren who had fought in the War of the Ancients,^[4] had been living in peace with the local drogbar for generations, but when the Legion invaded, the drogbar stole the tauren's sacred artifact, the Hammer of Khaz'goroth. The Highmountain are now at risk of being taken over by the drogbar and their king Dargrul the Underking, ruling his kin from the former lair of the black aspect Neltharion.

As is his habit when new parts of the world are ready to be discovered, the one and only Hemet Nesingwary makes his way to the mountains of the Broken Isles in search of new and exotic dangerous animals to hunt.

The wards bounding Uul'gyneth began to weaken just enough for the Darkness to seep through, and the Necrodark began to summon Uul'gyneth into the physical realm.^[3] Though Uul'gyneth did manage to incarnate itself, it was defeated by a Horde adventurer.^[5]

At one point, an eredar named Despoiler Egrothar desecrated the sacred burial sites of the Highmountain tribe, raising the bodies of the dead. The Order of the Silver Hand sent their troops to kill the demon and put them back to rest.^[6] They also made contact with a tribe of Highmountain tauren, who had an excess supply of furs and leather, after they took down a demon incursion led by a doomguard named Raidmaster Sorthol who stood in their way.^[7]

Geography

The namesake mountain of this region, Highmountain Peak, is among the tallest mountains in all of Azeroth, and the Highmountain range which surrounds it is filled with untamed wilds, deep canyons, fertile valleys, and icy peaks.^[4] Because the waters of Highmountain flow into Suramar, Stormheim, and Val'sharah, the area serves as the lifeblood of virtually every region on the Broken Isles. Below the surface of the region lies an infinite network of tunnels and caverns, with steam and warmth implying potential volcanic activity.^[8]

Maps and subregions

Map of Highmountain.

Thunder Totem

Scenarios

Cave of the Bloodtotem

Undisplayed locations

Lian'tril

Instances

Instance name	Level range	Group size	Approximate run time
Neltharion's Lair	100-110	5 player	Unknown

Travel hubs

A sunset over Highmountain, seen from Thunder Totem.

Flight Paths from Thunder Totem
Flight Paths from Nesingwary's Retreat
Flight Paths from The Witchwood
Flight Paths from Felbane Camp
Flight Paths from Skyhorn
Flight Paths from Sylvan Falls
Flight Paths from Stonehoof Watch
Flight Paths from Prepfoot
Flight Paths from Shipwreck Cove
Flight Paths from Ironhorn Enclave
Flight Paths from Obsidian Overlook
Flight Paths from Trueshot Lodge

Adjacent regions

The night sky over Highmountain.

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access
Stormheim		100 - 110 (scaled)	Southeast	By foot or by flight path
Val'sharah		100 - 110 (scaled)	Southwest	By foot or by flight path

Notable characters

Main article: Highmountain NPCs

Quests

Main article: Highmountain storyline

Resources

Wild creatures

Notes and trivia

Highmountain was mainly inspired by the Yosemite National Park, the Swiss Alps and Mount Everest.^[4]^[8]
Highmountain as it appears in Legion is set during spring.^[8]
This area was planned to be available in a lesser Vision of N'Zoth.